The Planning and Community Development Committee voted to forward a request that would allow the San Antonio Housing Facility Corporation (SAHFC) to partner with Athena Domain Inc. on the Creekside at Lookout multifamily rental project, clearing the way for a full property tax exemption under a public facility corporation (PFC) arrangement.

Deputy Director Ian Benavides of the city’s Neighborhood Housing Services Department outlined the proposal, saying the development would create 232 units with a mix of units set at 60 percent AMI, 80 percent AMI and market rate levels and one- and two-bedroom layouts. Benavides said revenues from the PFC transaction would be used in line with Opportunity Home’s development policy — including creating units below 50 percent AMI, preserving public housing, funding services for low-income residents, and funding reserves for Opportunity Home.

Committee members debated affordability depth and location. Councilman Courage said he was “very skeptical” that the mix — with only about 10 units at 60 percent AMI — constituted a meaningful affordable-housing benefit and said he would vote against the measure. Committee members and staff clarified the PFC’s limited incentive (a tax exemption only) and noted that deeper affordability typically requires additional gap funding or use of housing bonds. Councilwoman Villageran and Councilwoman Castillo said they were comfortable moving the item forward to the full council but asked staff to provide details on where PFC proceeds would be directed, including whether funds would help preserve and upgrade existing Opportunity Home public housing sites and support permanent supportive housing projects.

The committee voted to advance the PFC request to the City Council. The motion carried by a 3–2 tally (three in favor, two opposed), with the committee approving the request to allow the SAHFC–Athena Domain partnership to proceed to full council consideration with staff follow-up on the use of proceeds.

The committee’s approval does not itself confer the tax exemption; it forwards the item to the full City Council for final action. Staff said they will coordinate with Opportunity Home to provide a breakdown of the anticipated uses of the PFC proceeds, including preservation and supportive-services commitments, before the full council takes up the item.

What happened next: Staff committed to supply the council with details about which Opportunity Home developments the PFC proceeds would support and how revenue would be applied to preservation and supportive housing efforts. The project’s tax-exempt status would not be final until the City Council votes, and any additional financial incentives or gap funding would require separate approvals.

(Reporting note: All quotations and attributions are drawn from the meeting transcript of the Planning and Community Development Committee.)